Ithilien Chronicles: Pastime Promises, Memories
by Shadow Chaser
Summary: Part 2 of 6. Before the One Ring was found by Gollum, Elves ruled the land with serenity. Here is the tale of two young elves Haldir and Legolas, almost brothers, but both whom are destined for different paths of history... [ON HOLD]
1. Of All Things Must Come to Past: A Tale ...

Lord of the Rings: Pastime Promises, Memories

By: Shadow Chaser

**Summary/Disclaimer:**

Before the fellowship was created, before Sméagol/Gollum found the One Ring, there were the Elves who ruled the land with peace and serenity, guiding all to their fates.  One such fate is that of two young elves, Legolas of Mirkwood and Haldir of Lothlorien.  The best of friends, and the worst of rivals, here is their story of how the two went down their own paths to history.  Based off of the movie (Haldir does not die, but participated in the Battle of Helm's Deep) and the various history books by J.R.R. Tolkien.  **_I do not own the characters, situations, or languages of the Elves, these belong to Tolkien and I am not making a profit from this fic._**

**Characters:**

Legolas of Mirkwood – Elven Prince of Mirkwood

Haldir of Lothlorien – future Elven general of Galadriel

Yulin of Lothlorien – Elven archer of Lothlorien

Thorwen of Lothlorien – Elven general of Galadriel

Artalion of Mirkwood – Guard general of Thranduil

Valiya of Mirkwood – Elven Swordmaiden of Mirkwood

Davandil of Lothlorien – Elven swordsman of Lothlorien

Arwen of Rivendell – Elven Princess of Rivendell

Mischa of Rivendell – Handmaiden for Arwen

Thranduil of Mirkwood – ruler of the Elves of Mirkwood

Galadriel of Lothlorien – Queen/Lady of the Lothlorien Elves

Elrond of Rivendell – Ruling Prince of Rivendell

Celeborn of Lothlorien – King/Lord of the Lothlorien Elves

_(*Character list subject to change)_

**Story:**

Prologue – Of All Things Must Come to Past 

The Battle of Helm's Deep was done.  They had finally won, but the casualties were high.  Not only for the Men and Elves that participated in the battle, but also for those of the Uruk Hai, Goblins, and Men that were of Saruman's side.  In the waning daylight giving way to the noon-light of the sun, Legolas of Mirkwood walked around what used to be the front defensive wall of Helm's Deep.  He surveyed the dead bodies of both his fellow Elven compatriots, Men, and Uruk Hai, looking for salvageable arrows shot from others.  In his hand, he gripped the gift of the most beautiful and strongest bow given to him by Galadriel when they departed Lothlorien just those few weeks ago.  It seemed so long though, as he remembered the beautiful face of the Elven Queen, yet his gaze had lingered on the beauty of the bow given to him.

He suddenly bent down and pulled an arrow out of the decaying body of an Uruk Hai.  Glancing at its tipped point, he smiled grimly, it was useable and looked to be one of his original arrows that he had shot during the battle.  Wiping it clean with the fold of his cloak, he placed it back into his quiver.

"A good battle," a voice behind him spoke, startling him and he spun around to see Haldir, bloodied but in good health, leaning on the hilt of his sword in a casual manner, a wry grin on his semi-tired face.

"Yes," Legolas agreed, picking up another bow and examined the tip then wiped it clean and placed it in his quiver which was getting full of arrows, "I saw you fighting…you fought very well, but I think that had you not ducked at the last minute, that ax the Uruk Hai was wielding would have cut you in the back of your head."

"Hnn," Haldir looked a bit sheepish, but then again, Legolas didn't know what his friend was thinking as it had been a long time since they talked to each other, but only briefly during their stay in Lothlorien those weeks ago.  "You may be correct, but from what I saw, you and the dwarf were having a competition of sorts?"

"Ah, yes…that," now it was his turn to grin sheepishly, "it kind of grew when we were escaping to Helm's Deep and were attacked by Wargs.  But so far, I think I have the most kills of the two of us by far."

"You were always very competitive, my friend," Haldir shook his head and sheathed his sword, "even back then all those years ago."

"I seem to remember that you got the most kills, but I, having the most elaborate kills, you just hacked away at whatever there was," Legolas took out one more arrow and examined it, but then frowned and tossed it away.  It was a useless one, the tip broken off.

Haldir made a noise of a strangled agreement, "Who needs elaboration when you just slay your enemies.  Legolas of Mirkwood, you've gone a bit senile."

"Senile?  Me?  I happen to remember you to be the older one."

"Whatever, come friend, King Théoden wants a word with us," Haldir gestured to him with an outstretched hand of friendship and Legolas took it.  "Remember the time when you ate that berry bush and received a huge allergic reaction…"

"Don't remind me about it…"

                                    *                      *                      *

Chapter 1 – The Tale of Two Best Friends 

**Timeframe: 2,000 Years and more before _Fellowship of the Ring_**

Legolas sat back in the high backed chair, bored with all the proceedings happening in the court of his father, Thranduil, ruler of the Woodland (Mirkwood) Elves, the largest Elven population settlement in the whole of Middle Earth.  He didn't know why his father wanted him in these proceedings; it wasn't like his father was going to die in the next few years.  He had time to learn, except he didn't want to.  He didn't want to be confined to a throne to deal with bureaucrats.  He wanted adventure, a sense of freedom…and he was not one to sit in a seat for a long time.  His mother, before she passed on, said that he was all the more active of Elves she had ever known, and was pretty feisty even when just a Youngling, wanting nothing of a ruling position even though he was known as the Prince of Mirkwood.

Fidgeting slightly, he wondered how long until he could leave.  The Trader Minister was babbling about something to the likes of Wargs raiding distant lands and how trade was going to be destroyed by these attacks.  The realm of Men was though but silent, after all they were not the ones to speak up because of those atrocities committed during the Second Age.  Though he himself was not born during the Second Age, his friend Haldir, an elf of Lothlorien, was.  Haldir had participated in the War of the Ring during the Second Age as a common soldier; he hadn't talked about it too much.

"And that is my report, Milord," the Trader Minister finished up and stepped back.

"Thank you," Thranduil, waved his hand to gesture for the next person to step up and make his report.

Legolas started slightly as he saw whom but Haldir with a small group of Lothlorien Elves, all armed to the teeth.  He sat up and watched his friend with interest, noting the tense strained expression on his face.

"Haldir of Lothlorien, you haven't passed by these woods in a long time, old friend," Thranduil's deep voice rumbled.

"Thranduil of Mirkwood," Haldir bowed slightly, "Prince Legolas, I bring grave news from The Lady of the Light Galadriel.  Followers of Sauron have arisen but we do not know where they will attack.  It is possible that they might be massing in Rhun, in the East.  We request assistance of a small contingent of your Elven warriors to help us in this quest."

"We have not heard of these attacks…what proof do you have?" Thranduil looked a bit skeptical and Legolas glared at his father before turning his attention back to Haldir and his group.

"We dare to think that it could be a Nazgul, self proclaimed to rule and is gathering all those he can muster to drive back the Elves.  The Orcs are already in its service and we've noted that they have begun to raid certain small settlements with Elven population," Haldir looked a bit pale with the news and Legolas knew that his friend had certain disgust towards Orcs who would only raid certain towns just to capture the Elves.  Though he didn't really know the reason why, pretty much everyone didn't like Orcs, as they were twisted and evil.

"Have you talked to Elrond about this?" Thranduil asked.

"Not yet, Milord," Haldir apologized, "The Lady of the Light bid me to come fast towards your kingdom because of your great army strength and able warriors."

Legolas tried to hide a smirk behind his impassive mask, as he knew that his father was very prideful of the great amount of Elves serving in the Woodland Army, much greater than those of Lothlorien and Rivendell combined.  Those were the right words to try to persuade his father and he knew that Haldir hit the jackpot.  However, the smirk on his face wasn't completely wiped away and unfortunately his father caught it.

"Do you find something amusing about all of this, Legolas?" he asked giving him an arched look.

He dared not to look at his friend who probably had a wry grin on his face, along with the rest of the people in the court and just stared at his father and mustered the strength to reply in a smooth voice.  "No, I do not find anything at all amusing, father.  Yet, I wonder," he hesitated for a fraction of a second to come up with something relevant, "if this 'Nazgul' is able to come with such power, then have the Rangers of the Northern Plains been informed?"

"To answer your question, my Prince, yes.  They have notified us that they've sent scouts out.  Elrond's sons are with them and it is most likely that Elrond himself knows of this threat," Haldir's voice betrayed no hint of laughter, but his eyes and the crinkle of the skin around them told otherwise.

"Then a contingent of my warriors will join you in this quest.  Pray that you do not fail," Thranduil said, and then waved his hand for Haldir and his group to leave.  "I shall be taking a recess for the rest of the day."

As the people of the court moved to leave to other business, Legolas stood up quickly to join them.  He wanted to talk to Haldir before they left and probably ask if he could join them.  He wanted something to do and going with his best friend seemed like a great idea. Just as he took two light steps towards the exit to the courtyard, his father's voice boomed out.

"Legolas, I would like to speak with you."

Freezing on the spot, he turned around and sighed, then noticed the warning look on his father's face.  He was in trouble, he knew it.  Following dejectedly, he walked behind his father, noticing that they were going to the open garden fields near the living quarters of the royal family.  It was probably one of the most beautiful wooded gardens there was, full of at least every single different species of tree on Middle Earth and had flowering plants along with small Elf-made waterfalls to give it a tranquil setting.

His father stopped at a clearing, secluded but giving enough light that it wasn't pitch black as most of the outer and some inner woods of Woodland were.  "You find these proceedings boring and uneventful," his father began without preamble.

"No, not really-"

"Don't lie in my face Legolas!" his father suddenly barked, and Legolas' eyes widened for a second before he involuntarily stepped back.  He had never seen his father so angry except for the time when he discovered that his wife, and Legolas' mother had been ravaged then killed and chopped to pieces by a raiding Orc party.  "Don't you ever lie to me."

Legolas didn't know what to say and stayed silent, trying to avoid his father's gaze, but something kept those piercing angry eyes on his.

"You are an Elf Prince, son," his father's tone softened, but those angry eyes didn't, "you are heir to your own part of the Elven community outside of here.  You must learn how to rule, how to become a benevolent ruler.  Wasting your time by longing for adventure with your head high up in the trees is not becoming of a future ruler."

"But I don't want to rule, father," Legolas pleaded.

"Silence!" his father suddenly roared, shutting Legolas up and making him step back again.  "Stubborn and mule-headedness are not going to get you anywhere but the life as a common soldier."

"So?  Maybe I do want to become a common soldier," Legolas was getting angry.  Why couldn't his father understand that he didn't want to rule?  He didn't want power over others; he just wanted to experience the world of his own, not by inheriting something.  "Maybe I do want to just disown my royal blood and just become a common soldier."

"You do, and I swear, you will be serving the life of a servant.  I will make your life hellish so that you would want to die, but are unable to.  You will wish to retreat into the Gray Havens, never to be seen again, but no, you will not be able to," Thranduil glared at him and he matched the glare with his own.

"You would do that to your own son?" he whispered dangerously.

"Right now, I have no son," Thranduil said and Legolas blinked back the surprise that erupted within him.

"Fine, then I guess I should be heading to the barracks, _Milord_," he gave a mock bow, all the while glaring at the Elf who was once his father, but now nothing more than a selfish bastard.  Turning on his heel, his made his way out of the secluded area, his fists clenched with anger.

                                    *                      *                      *

Haldir waited until Thranduil left the secluded place before stepping out of his hiding place.  He winced inwardly at what just happened.  Never before had he witnessed such an awful fight, not of a physical one, but one of verbal sparring.  He knew that during his times with Legolas his best friend didn't really drop too much hints about why he didn't want to rule, but never before did he knew it was this bad.  Walking back to where his company was, he mused over how to explain this to Galadriel when she would find out that Legolas was not with them.  He had wanted to make a personal request to Thranduil to let Legolas join in their quest, with the reasoning of his sharp bow skills and natural ability as a Ranger, even though he wasn't trained.

Now he didn't really know how to make that request without furthering enraging the king of the Woodland Elves.  Arriving at the place where his company was allowed to rest before making their second leg of the trip to Rivendell, he noticed the curious looks of Yulin, Davandil, and Petrio, the three other Elves who made up his company, and raised an eyebrow at them.

"Something the matter?" he asked.

"Just wondering where did you run off to," Yulin grinned at him, plucking at his bowstring and closing his eyes as he listened to the wonderful tune of it being pulled.

"Scouting," was Haldir's reply.

"Uh huh…scouting in Mirkwood where there is nothing to scout," Davandil replied.

"Hold your tongue Davandil, it is not Mirkwood, but Woodland that you speak of.  You are a guest here and you will treat it with respect, not some warmongering derogatory statement," he cuffed the brown-haired elf on the back of his head.

"Ow!" Davandil yelped and rubbed the back of his head then turned and sat down sullenly while staring off at some plant.

"Am I disrupting anything?" Thranduil's deep voice brought all of them to face the king who was standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

"No, milord," Haldir noticed the subtle signs of strain around the king's eyes as he bowed slightly in respect.  "Just instituting some discipline into my men."

"Hnn," Thranduil nodded curtly, "discipline is something some lack these days."

Haldir nodded in agreement, but inwardly he knew whom the king was talking about.

"But enough of this," Thranduil clapped his hands together, "I will be assigning three of my best warriors to join you.  They will meet you in a few hours before you are to leave, by the gates.  They are Artalion, my Guardsman, Valiya, and Rien."

"A She-Elf?!" Davandil looked incredulous and Haldir gritted his teeth against the impolite manner.  Davandil had always been old fashion, even after being born in the Third Age, and still retained some of the ignorance most of the more conservative Elves had, meaning they greeted She-Elves who were trained like warriors with the utmost contempt.  Haldir didn't even know the reason why Galadriel assigned him to his group, but figured that the Lady of the Light always knew what was best as she was also a Seer-of-Things.

"Hold your tongue Davandil," he turned slightly to face the Elven swordsman who was running a hand over the sheath of his long-sword.

"I assure you, Haldir of Lothlorien, if you have any qualms about Valiya, she is very capable," Thranduil said, pointedly ignoring whatever outburst Davandil had said.

"Unlike some, I do not doubt the strength of Elves, whether male or female," adding another glare to Davandil.

"Good, then until you leave, please enjoy whatever we have to offer to you," Thranduil looked to leave when Haldir burst out.

"Milord, do you know where I can find Legolas, as it has been too long since we've spoken to each other," he didn't know if Thranduil would order him executed for such an outburst, but he just wanted to know if the threats exchanged when he was spying on them were true.

Thranduil hesitated then said in what was an indifference voice, "Unfortunately, I do not know where the Prince is."  With that he left and Haldir was left standing, his mouth slightly opened in shock.  With the admission of just the title Prince and not even a single hint of familiarity in the words of Thranduil, then the threats must be true.

"Yulin, watch camp, I'm headed to the barracks."

"Why, if I may be inclined to ask, commander?" Yulin, the ever so disciplined Elf asked.

"Thranduil would not send Artalion, his Guardsman, unless there is something that he does not trust about us.  I have a feeling that things are growing darker in Woodland, and Thranduil might be behind it," Haldir frowned.

"It's that bad?"

"Possibly."

                                    *                      *                      *

Making his way towards the barracks, which was located near the entrance into the Woodland realm, he weaved his way through the various Elves practicing or sparring.  It was like walking back into the Lothlorien barracks, except this was on a much grander scale.  He noticed targeting ranges set up in various places and Elves were shooting at it, some hitting their mark over and over again, while others were obviously beginners and though hit their mark at what looked like close range, their instructors was yelling at them.

Suppressing a silent chuckle, Haldir passed by them and climbed the steps to the beautiful rocky complex that was the barracks itself.  He used to be one of the instructors for the Lothlorien Army, and was promoted out of that position and given the position of a field commander.  Though his goal, ever since he joined the Lothlorien Army during the Battle for Middle Earth in the Second Age, was to become the personal head general of the Lady of the Light, Galadriel.  Currently Thorwen, a female Elf who had but a wise tactical knowledge and the charisma to rally up her troops held that position.

Approaching who looked to be the quartermaster of the barracks he gave a quick salute, "I would like to talk to Rien, Artalion, and Valiya, if possible."

"Certainly Master Haldir of Lothlorien," the quartermaster replied, "Rien and Valiya are at their quarters, but Artalion is with the King at the moment.  He is, but of course, Lord Thranduil's personal Guardsman."

"I understand," Haldir frowned.  He did want to talk to Artalion to prod him a little, but if Artalion was with Thranduil, then it was impossible as Guardsmen rarely left their charge's side.  The only time he was able to talk to Artalion would be when they started their trip to Rivendell.  He was curious also to ask if Legolas was at the barracks, but he didn't know if it was public knowledge and held his tongue.

"Come this way Master Haldir," the quartermaster gestured and Haldir followed.

He was led through a maze of halls, but he memorized the route that they took, as it was a knack in him to memorize whatever path he took, and they arrived at a blank silver doorway.  This was one of the few doors to be closed and he realized that it was quarters of a female Elf.

The quartermaster knocked on the door, "Valiya, Master Haldir is here to see you."

"Send him in," was a muffled reply and the door slid open.

Haldir stepped in and the door closed silently behind him.  He was greeted with a salute by an Elf who was standing by her bunk.  Returning the salute, he noted that Valiya was actually quite beautiful, even by Elf standards, but her body language spoke of that of a warrior's.  On her bunk was a belt satchel, with an assortment of daggers and one very long staff with two wicked looking curved blades on the end.  He recognized the weapon as one he used during the Battle for Middle Earth.

"What can I do for you sir?" she asked, standing at attention.

She was very disciplined, he could give her that and tilted his head slightly, "I gather that Lord Thranduil has informed you of your mission with my group?"

"Yes sir," she replied, "I am to assist your company in searching for a threat against the Elven community."

"Did you volunteer for this?" he asked.

"No, sir.  I was chosen from all of the Swordmaidens of Woodland," she said without any hint of pride or arrogance and Haldir suppressed a whistle of exclamation.  The Swordmaidens of any of the three largest Elven communities were noteworthy as they were considered the best soldiers, even more than most barrack trained Elves.

"Do you know who your other two companions are?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yes sir," she replied, "Rien of the Archery, and Artalion, Lord Thranduil's personal Guardsman."

"Good," Haldir nodded in approval, "then I shall be expecting you in a few hours along with them."  He made a move to leave the room and as the door slid open Valiya opened her mouth.

"Sir," she said and Haldir turned back to her, "I request a favor of you."

Perplexed, Haldir nodded a bit uncertainly, wondering what she would ask.

"I request that if we do see combat, then I would not be placed in the back lines.  I am a front line soldier, sir."

Haldir blinked once then looked at her closely.  He could tell that she desperately wanted to be placed in the front line and realized that even if she saw combat, she was usually placed in the back lines because she was a She-Elf.  "I will consider it," was his reply before he stepped out.

The quartermaster was waiting for him with what looked to be a leering grin on his face and Haldir stared at the Elf with disgust on his face.  "Is something the matter?"

"I should be saying this, but you are very lucky you know…Valiya rarely lets other Elves other than her fellow Swordmaidens into her quarters," the quartermaster said, sighing a bit wistfully and Haldir looked at him with incredulous eyes.  Was this Elf even thinking of what he thought he was thinking?

He stopped suddenly, making the quartermaster bump into him before grabbing a fistful of the Elf's collar of his tunic and shoved him up the wall of the hall that they were walking in.  Other Elf cadets and some soldiers stopped what they were doing and watched the proceeding with interested eyes, while others just scurried away, but Haldir didn't care for all that.  He focused his attention on the quartermaster and pinned him to the wall.

"Hey!  What's the meaning-"

"Shut up," Haldir whispered in a deadly quiet voice, "you, as the second of this barrack have no right to be saying such lewd and disgusting comments about such warriors as she or of anyone else.  If I hadn't known better, I'd say that you were an ugly dwarf, with nothing more than to snivel at your riches and fantasy."

The quartermaster spluttered, but Haldir silenced him further with another shove.

"I think it be best for me to report this to Lord Thranduil, don't you think," he allowed himself to smile in a predatory way, watching as the Elf's eyes widened with fear and surprise.

Dropping him to the ground, he spun and walked away, leaving the quartermaster to the ridicule of the others in the hall who both murmured and chuckled.  Grabbing a cadet by the sleeve he asked, "Where are Rien's quarters?"

"O-Over…t-there, s-sir," the cadet was completely green and was shaking slightly.

"Thank you," Haldir released him gently and walked in the direction the cadet pointed out.  He entered into the door-less quarters that were Rien's and noticed and Elf sitting on the top of two bunks, back facing him, in what looked to be a meditative position.  "Rien?" he asked hesitantly.

"Outside practicing, Haldir," the Elf replied and Haldir raised an eyebrow at being addressed so bluntly when he finally noticed the clothes the Elf wore and the style of the hair.  Blonde hair pooled down the back, with two distinctive raised braids running from the ear and back, ending in a miniature fishbone braid that tied the hair back.  His clothes were of a dark green hue, and by the side of his bunk laid a quiver with arrows in them, and two distinctive milky white handles of what looked to be daggers.  A bow rested against the wall and it was of a design that Haldir recognized.

"Legolas?!"

                                    *                      *                      *

Legolas suppressed a smile as he heard Haldir finally say his name.  It actually took him longer than he knew, but that could be accounted for the fact that the two best friends had not seen each other in such a long time.  "Took you long enough," he said then opened his eyes from his meditative position and turned to face his friend.  "I heard you outside giving Gilgald a talking," he grinned at him and Haldir rubbed his brow.

"How many more of these Woodland Elves are sick bastards?  Especially the happy-go-lucky ones who seem to always get on my nerves?" he asked then waved his hand to stop Legolas from answering, "don't bother…I don't want to know.  The sooner I get out of here, the better."

"I heard that Artalion is going with you," Legolas watched his friend's face carefully for any reaction at all, but found none.  If Haldir was grimacing beneath that chiseled mask of impassivity, then he was hiding it with a professionalism that he himself had never seen before.

"It will be fine.  Guardsmen are good at scouting," Haldir replied, "so, if I may be inclined to ask, what are you doing here?  From what I found out last time, you were a Prince living in the royal facilities."

Legolas suppressed a wince of the recent fight that had erupted between his father and him.  Haldir didn't know and was just making a joke.  But even in ignorance, it still hurt slightly.  He shrugged, "I convinced my father that I should at least spend a few days in the barracks to better understand the ways of soldiers."

"Oh," was the reply he received from his friend before his friend sat down on the wooden chair in the room he shared with Rien, "don't lie to me Legolas.  I heard what happened between your father and you."

Legolas blinked in surprise.  It was common knowledge then, the fight and disownment between his father and him?  He wondered if the various cadets and soldiers outside had already heard the news and bowed his head down in shame.  He was disgraced forever…

"It's not common knowledge Legolas," Haldir continued and Legolas' head snapped back up, "I was listening to your conversation."

"So you were the one in the trees.  I knew there was someone," Legolas narrowed his eyes in anger, "and so you decided to come here to convince me about apologizing?"

"No, I just came here to see if you needed someone to talk to.  Of not being noble born, the perspective is a bit different, need I remind you."

"No, I don't think I need a reminder," Legolas sighed and leaned back against the wall, "it's not bad here.  So far the other Elves have accepted my lie, but I wonder how long it will last.  I probably will disappear and run to one of the outer Elf communities to stay there after a few weeks.  My father wouldn't want me around anyways and having them constantly talking about me would probably be a bit unnerving."

"You know, you're always welcomed in Lothlorien.  The Lady of the Light is always welcoming strangers with open arms and certainly you are no stranger," Haldir didn't like to see his friend in such a dejected state.  He wondered if the usually cheerful Legolas that he knew had been scared away, only to be replaced by a sullen Elf.

"Thank you, Haldir," Legolas cracked a smile then stood up, signaling that their brief conversation was at an end.  Though he missed his friend terribly, it seemed a bit awkward to reminisce about old times when he was in such a position.  Clasping his forearms, he gave it a strong shake, "I will be seeing you off before you leave for your quest."

"Then I look forward to it," Haldir replied.

                                    *                      *                      *

**Author's End Notes:**

            By far, I like working on this fic better than my Dragonspire one at least a year ago, and thus will probably continue it since it's the prelude to LoTR and The Hobbit.  Hope you enjoyed it so far!  Oh yeah, my muse, Haldir made me write the fic.  He's been hopping mad since he found out that the character with the same name as his was put into the movie and got killed…


	2. Parting Mirkwood

Lord of the Rings: Pastime Promises, Memories

By: Shadow Chaser

**Disclaimer:**

Based off of the movie (Haldir does not die, but participated in the Battle of Helm's Deep) and the various history books by J.R.R. Tolkien.  **_I do not own the characters, situations, or languages of the Elves, these belong to Tolkien and I am not making a profit from this fic._**

Chapter 2 – Parting Mirkwood 

**Timeframe: 2,000 Years and more before _Fellowship of the Ring_**

Within the few hours that they had in their stay at Woodland, Haldir suddenly found himself wishing that there were more time before they were to start out on their second leg of the journey to Rivendell.  Though the rest of his companions didn't feel the same and out of the three of them, only Yulin looked content to stay.  Davandil looked just about to bolt away from here and was grumbling about something, while Petrio was silent and seemed to just stare at the dark woods that lined the outer edges of Woodland.

As said, the three other companions to travel with their company arrived, Rien and Valiya wearing their helmets of green gold that hid mostly their face except for the eyes, each carrying their belts and weapons.  They stopped in front of Haldir and acknowledged him with curt nods of professionalism.

"Ah, you are all here, good," Thranduil's booming voice made all of them turn around and Haldir bowed slightly to acknowledge the king.  Behind him he noticed the very tall Elf, even taller than he was, towering over all of them by at least a good head.  That had to be Artalion, Thranduil's Guardsman.  "Haldir and company of Lothlorien, I would like to introduce Artalion, my loyal Guardsman."

Haldir nodded to the huge Elf and noticed that he was carrying a broadsword and a crossbow on him, along with an assortment of daggers.  Probably being a Guardsman meant proficiency in all areas of weapons and combat…which meant that if they met up with any resisting force or Orcs, the enemy would be for one hell of a battle.

"I see that Rien and Valiya have arrived, then I wish you the best of speed and haste on your quest," Thranduil said, clasping his hands together.

"Thank you, milord," Haldir replied then took a quick glance at the barracks to see if Legolas had appeared.  Though he probably didn't really count on his friend to appear when his father was present, he knew that there was no way to say a goodbye to his best friend if Thranduil looked to be staying, which he was. _ Farewell until next time, Legolas_, he silently called to his friend then turned and started walking.

As the others followed him out into the dark woods of the borders of Woodland, he silently hoped that everything will be all right, but something within him said that things were just only getting started.

                                    *                      *                      *

The start of their journey to Rivendell was uneventful, though they all kept a sharp watch for giant spiders and other assortment of dark creatures that lurked around the Woodland Forest.  Making their way along side the Enchanted River, Artalion was the one to lead them through the various twists and turns of the path following the River, being an expert scout that he was.  Haldir knew that they were getting close to the middle of the distance between the Enchanted River and the Forest River because of the looming Mountains of Mirkwood's base that they were fast approaching.

"We'll hold camp for tonight and climb over the mountains tomorrow.  Watches will be set up by doubles.  A Woodland and Lothlorien Elf during each two-hour watch.  I will take first watch and last watch.  Rien will take first watch with me, Davandil, you are to take second watch with Artalion, Yulin and Valiya will take third watch.  Artalion, Petrio, and I will take the last watch.  Is that clear?" he asked.  Pairing Yulin and Valiya up was probably the smartest thing to do, as he would know that if either pairing up Valiya with Davandil or Petrio would ultimately cause disaster.  Besides, he wanted to talk to Rien a bit more since he didn't get the chance to talk to the third member of the Woodland Elves after speaking with Legolas.

"Yes sir," was the unison reply from all.

A few hours later, after the sun had set and the camp was set up, Haldir leaned back against a tree stump that had fallen near their fire that they had set up.  He watched as Yulin entertained the rest of his company with the exception of Artalion, with some kind of horror story as he kept drawing figures into the dirt ground with his small dagger.  Rien and Valiya hadn't taken their helmets off yet, and Haldir wondered if Woodland Elves just rested with all their gear on.  Surely no one was foolhardy enough to rest with a bulky uncomfortable helmet on.

Artalion had taken his helmet off, but was sitting away from the others, his gaze lingering in the fire.  Through their journey from Thranduil's Cave the Guardsman was curt and polite, but didn't say much and Haldir found it frustrating that none of his questions were answered by the Guardsman.  Subtle questions didn't work on the Guardsman either, as he obviously recognized them and deflected them with ease.

All in all, it was like talking to a wall.

There was a sudden rumble of laughter coming from the group surrounding Yulin and Haldir knew that the story was finished.  As it was also time for the watches to start.  He got up, his eyes taking a quick scan of the darkness that seemed to creep towards them and approached the group that was splitting up.  "Rien," he called to the Elf who was adjusting his bow and he looked up then nodded.

Rien walked over to him, testing the strength of his bowstring all the while, and stopped.  The quiver was on his back and had a fresh compliment of arrows.  Originally they were half-covered as they had walked from Thranduil's Cave and only now did Haldir see the arrows.

"We'll circle around opposite ends of the camp.  If you spot anything amiss, signal with your hand," he explained to Rien and the Elf nodded.

"Understood, sir."

"It's advisable for you to take your helmet off, at the night, Rien.  Valiya and Artalion have done so," he gestured to both Elves, Valiya who was pointedly glaring at Davandil and Petrio who had looks of disgust mixed with shock.  Shock possibly from Valiya's beauty, disgust that she was a female Elf who knew how to fight…he didn't really know, but that was his hazard guess.

"I decline the advisory, sir, for my own personal reasons," Rien replied, surprising Haldir.  He looked at the Elf closely and narrowed his eyes.  Why would an Elf not take off his helmet unless there was something to hide?  A deformity?  Or maybe it wasn't Rien he was talking to, but a doppelganger or perhaps something that was impersonating Rien.

"Is there something you wish to tell me, Rien?" he asked in a quiet voice as not to startle the others, but noticed Artalion walking up towards them, his face full of suspicion.

"Nothing, sir, but that I wish to keep my helmet on for personal reasons, reasons you would not understand.  I can assure you that I am no dark creature of Woodland or of anything else and am not an doppelganger of sorts," Rien's voice betrayed no nervousness, but Haldir wasn't convinced.

"Is something the matter?" Artalion's voice rumbled next to them and Haldir frowned.  If Rien was telling the truth then it would be okay for him, but Haldir knew too much deception to let something like this slip past by him.

"Nothing, Master Guardsman," Rien replied.

"I wasn't talking to you, soldier," Artalion replied with disdain.  "And in what Iluvatar's name do you have your helmet on?  Take it off immediately soldier!"

"I rather not," was the stubborn reply.

"You will do as ordered soldier or you will be executed on this spot for insubordination," Artalion's voice rose and Haldir grimaced as the angry tone alerted the others who were now approaching, curious.

There was a grumble of something coming from Rien that Haldir didn't catch, but suddenly Artalion was just a blur of hair and armor as he tackled Rien to the ground.  He ran forward and tried to get the big Elf off of Rien, but was thrown back slightly by the battering of arms from both Rien and Artalion.  Haldir made another move to separate the two, not noticing that the rest of their group had crowded around, when Artalion suddenly leapt off of Rien, helmet in his hand…

Except it wasn't Rien who laid on the ground…

Slightly battered, but otherwise all right and wearing an angry frown, Haldir's eyes widened as he saw that the person who was supposed to be Rien, was none other than Legolas.

                                    *                      *                      *

Legolas frowned angrily at Artalion who was clutching the helmet that he had worn over his head, hiding his distinctive blonde hairstyle and most of his features.  Apparently, Artalion, who had thought of him as an enemy looked triumphant at first, but as he kept his gaze locked on the Guardsman, he noticed the triumphant expression wavering into one of fear and apologetic.  His hand holding the helmet dropped it with a thunk to the ground.

"My…Prince…" came the strangled whisper from the tall and burly Guardsman as he fell to his knees.

Besides the stricken look on Artalion's face, there were gasps of recognition coming from the other members of the group and a swift gasp of surprise from Valiya who dropped to her knees out of the corner of his eye.

"I…guess that's why you didn't want to take off your helmet," Haldir's voice was a bit wooden and Legolas turned to face his friend who was approaching them, brushing a few uprooted grasses from his cloak.  His friend held out his hand to help him up and he took it, brushing himself from the grass that had gotten stuck to his cloak.

"Sorry for the deception," Legolas whispered to Haldir then turned to face the two Woodland Elves who were bowed to the ground.  "Get up," he mustered as much of a monotonous voice as possible, "you need not to apologize.  The deception was for your own protection."

"I humbly apologize for my actions, Prince," Artalion stayed where he was, but Valiya rose to her feet gracefully.

"I accept your apology, Guardsman," he replied, a bit frustrated at how the Guardsman was acting; "now rise and dispense with the formalities.  I am here as a common soldier, not as your Prince."

"Certainly, milord," Artalion replied formally and Legolas resisted the urge to wring the Guardsman's neck, but at least the tall Elf got up from his kneeling position.

"What are the rest of you staring at?  Get some rest, before the first watch time is up," Haldir took the opportunity of the awkward silence to step in and Legolas smiled slightly.  Trust his best friend to break up an awkward situation.

As the rest headed back to the fire circle, whispering to each other, he noticed both Valiya and Artalion giving him glances of worry on their way back and was talking with each other.  He wondered if they were worried if he was going to report this to his father, well, he could assure them that they were in no such danger, but then it would be telling them that something was wrong in the royal household.

"Hey, Legolas," Haldir placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him, "remember that patrol we still have to do for two hours?"

"Yes."

"Well, just because you're not Rien, that doesn't exempt you from our patrol," Haldir gave a wry grin and Legolas returned it.

"Then, I guess I should probably tell you why the deception," he picked up his discarded bow and gripped it as they started their circle around the camp.

                                    *                      *                      *

Two hours later, Legolas found himself resting against a fallen log, his head bowed, eyes closed, but not sleeping or in the meditative state of rest that Elves usually took at least once every two days.  His patrol with Haldir had been uneventful, except for just watching the shadows creep in.  Woodland was by far too dangerous to spend so much time outside of it that he knew that they needed to get out of it by this time tomorrow.  He could feel some sort of danger lurking in the back of his mind, no more than an annoyance at the moment, but he could sense that the predators of Woodland were getting restless.

Lifting his head slightly, he saw Davandil and Artalion making their rounds, both Elves ready with weapons.  He focused his gaze on Davandil, who was one of the most outspoken of all the Lothlorien Elves.  Haldir had told him that Davandil was very old fashioned and sometimes ill tempered, but by far was a good fighter.  In turn, he had told his friend about Artalion, sensing unease in Haldir's posture and mannerisms.

"Milord," Valiya's voice on his left turned his head slightly to acknowledge her.

"Just Legolas, no more than a soldier for now," he corrected her a bit absently, wondering what she was doing up.

"Legolas," she said his name hesitantly, still not really convinced, "you're still awake, like Haldir.  Yulin and I are bidding you two to get some rest, as Davandil and Artalion are the best spotters, so you needn't worry."

"Do not worry about me," Legolas reassured her, "I'm just thinking."

"Then I shall leave you with your thoughts," Valiya's voice betrayed no emotion, but Legolas could tell that the Swordmaiden was a bit hurt by his abrupt comment and he turned his head to apologize to her when he found her walking away, towards the other end of the encircled camp.

He shook his head slightly, reminding himself to apologize later when they were traveling again.  Right now, he wanted to be with his thoughts.  Staring out into the distance, he let his mind retreat deep within himself and finally, did not stir as in the limbo of sleep and wakefulness, was where Elves rested.

In it, Legolas dreamed.

He was immersed in a myriad of colors, all of them dazzling to his eyes.  Though not so bright as it would blind his sharp eyes, it was still very beautiful to look at and it was tranquil.  He saw himself dressed in white robes, no weapons whatsoever were on him, and voices were whispering to him.  They beckoned to him to follow the colors, and follow he did.

He listened to their melodic voices, some singing, others just whispering.  The language he could not understand, but he realized as it was of the olden days, the Elven languages that had been forgotten.  It sounded beautiful to him, and he welcomed it.  He walked tentative steps forward, unsure, but they were firm enough that he didn't feel as if he was going to fall.  The colors changed from light lavender to darker hues then to brightness again…

The words spoken by the beings he could not see were of a rich language, beautiful and musical.  They seemed to have some kind of rhythm within it, a soft rolling one that carried Legolas along the bands of colors that surrounded him.

Suddenly the language was cut off by a harsh sound, and another one filled it.  The myriad of colors he had been walking into turned into a deep blood red color and the language vibrated against his ears.  He clapped his hands to his ears, wincing as they rolled around his head, hurting the very soul that was his.  It hurt to hear the language and made him feel as if he was spinning so much that it was torture.

He saw a shape take form, what looked to be an Elf about the quarter size of him.  The Elf-like creature was running, something gold flashed on a silver chain around its neck.  It looked to be a ring of sorts, but even with his sharp eyes he could not tell, but he could tell that shadows crept towards it, evil shadows.  The language still vibrated in his head and he tried to build a barrier around him.

He shouted for the words to stop…

Legolas suddenly found himself awake, still sitting against the log, his eyes wide open with the remnants of the dream that he had dreamt when he noticed shouts and screams coming from the rest of camp.  Instinctively, he grabbed his bow and pulled an arrow from the quiver still resting on his back.  His hands moved of their own accord and he targeted something big moving and let his arrow go.  It flew with perfect aim and shot through the big thing.  Only when it squealed and roared in a dying pain that he realized that Wargs, wild rampaging ones, were upon them.  The evil that had been gnawing at the back of his mind was now blown full force.

He rolled over the log as another Warg came barreling after him, seeing it's companion dead, and Legolas leaped backwards, notching an arrow and letting it loose.  The arrow buried itself in the Warg's eye and it let out a roar of pain.

The roar was suddenly cut off as Artalion came out of nowhere, long-sword drawn and decapitated its head from the body.  "Prince!" he called and Legolas gave the Guardsman a quick nod then shot an arrow past him to hit a Warg that was charging them.

A suddenly flicker of movement behind him brought his knees up in a roll and just where he was a Warg ran by, startled by his sudden movement out of the path of its feet.  Artalion viciously hacked at the creature and it turned upon the Guardsman instead, forgetting about Legolas.

He notched another arrow and let it loose, just as it opened its mouth and the arrow lodged itself in the back of its jaw.  Turning, he let loose four more arrows, each one hitting a Warg that was getting too close to the others who were spread out, defending against Wargs.

"Head for the mountains!" Haldir's voice rang out among the roaring and growling of the Wargs and Legolas turned and ran, only turning behind him to shoot off an oncoming Warg.

His feet touched the rocky base of the mountains and he scrambled up, leaping from boulder to boulder…he saw Valiya and Petrio get knocked off their feet by a couple of Wargs that managed to get through their defenses, but just as fast the creatures were thrown a few feet away, dead.

Suddenly a movement in the corner of his eyes alerted Legolas of a Warg attempting to converge downwards towards them, making a pincher attack and he drew an arrow and shot it in the heart.  The Warg tumbled down the hill, dead and he leapt out of the way to avoid the rolling body.

"Le-"

It was the only warning he had before something heavy slammed into him, knocking him clear off his feet and into the rocky ground where painful stabs of stone and dirt jammed their imprint onto his right side.  He felt his breath knocked out of him, but kept a firm grip on his bow.

Shaking his head slightly, he blinked and the firm grip on his bow was shattered when a dark blur landed on top of him, jaws wide open.  Only instinct saved him as he drew one of his two milky white daggers and jammed it upwards, against the fangs of a Warg as it reached down to bite his head off.  Legolas struggled against the force of the Warg, compounded by the fact that it was leaning most of its heavy weight on him.

His other hand reached for his second dagger and he drew it then stabbed into one of its paws.  The Warg gave a howl of pain and released its heavy weight on him for only a few seconds, but it was all that he needed to scramble out of the way.  He rolled onto his feet just as Yulin fired an arrow from his crossbow at it, killing it.

"Come on!" the Lothlorien Elf grabbed him by his sleeve and started to run.  Quickly replacing the two daggers in its sheaths, he picked up his discarded bow and continued to run up towards the snow-capped mountains of Mirkwood.

But running now was a pointless effort as Legolas looked behind him to see most of the Wargs, or what was left of the rampaging party, were retreating back into deep woods, some roaring cries of pain from injuries sustained, but the good thing was, was the fact that they had chased them away.

"We'll move farther up the mountains where such an attack cannot be sustained," Haldir ordered and Legolas gripped his bow even tighter and started walking up, his eyes alert and wary for any further attacks by different creatures.  Surely the attack by the Wargs would had attracted more attention, but it seemed that most of the creatures in this area of Woodland were quiet…perhaps scared of what a group of Elves did to a pack of Wargs.  He could also feel that the evil that had been upon them fading away, fading back into the far corners of his mind.  There was to be no more attacks at the moment…

When they reached the elevation where snow was just starting to sprinkle the ground, Haldir ordered them to start another camp, this time with a smaller fire and to continue the watches.

When the fire started and the watches had been set, Legolas watched as both Petrio and Haldir sat down near the fire.  There was something odd about them…something that made their movements more pronounced and a bit sluggish, especially in his best friend Haldir.

Walking over, he sat down next to Haldir and placed a concerned hand on his shoulder, shaking it slightly, "Are you all right?"

Haldir nodded, his face impassive, but Legolas was not fooled as he read pain in them.  He lifted his hand up as he felt something sticky coating them and his eyes widened as his palm was completely covered in blood…not Warg blood, but Elf blood.  Staring at where his hand used to rest, he saw a wound about the size of his fist, fresh blood still seeping from it.

"You're bleeding," he stated, wiping his hand on the back of his cloak and unshouldered his quiver, which was also a small pack.  "Artalion!" he called to the Guardsman who quickly came over and knelt down next to him just as he drew out some strips of cloth, "you know how to dress wounds, right?"

"Yes milord," Artalion replied and took the strips out of his hands.  Legolas nodded absently as he watched the Guardsman quickly bandage up the wound to stop the bleeding.  Though he himself didn't really know what to do, since with all his current life time he hadn't had a chance to participate in any heavy battles and when he got the chance at times, the injuries were left to the medics, but he at least had some training to identify who was wounded or not.

Turning, he walked quickly over to Petrio who looked a bit dazed.  A huge slash was ripped across his back, probably courtesy of the Warg that had jumped him, and Legolas knelt down and grabbed the Lothlorien Elf by his shoulders.  "Petrio," he said, mustering all the command he could to get the Elf to pay attention, "listen…you must stay awake until we can dress your wound.  Stay awake…"

"Awake…" was the haggard whisper from the Elf who looked to be going into shock.

Legolas gave the Elf's shoulders a quick shake to help him stay awake, "Come on…" he gave the shoulders another shake and Petrio blinked slightly.

"Prince…" the Elf stopped lolling his head and instead focused his attention on him.

"Just a common soldier, remember Petrio," he gave the wounded Elf a small grin and glanced up just as Artalion came over, more strips of cloth in his hand.

"Go rest for now Prince Legolas…I will tend to his wounds," Artalion gently took Petrio by his shoulders and let the Elf lean against him while applying some pressure to the back wound.

Legolas backed off; wiping his hands on the fold of his cloak then glanced over to where Haldir was leaning against a pile of small logs the others had set up, still.  For a second, he thought that his friend had died from the blood loss, but on a closer look, Haldir was just resting as Elves did, eyes open but unseeing.  The only telltale sign of life was the rise and fall of his chest, slowly but in a rhythmic pattern.

His best friend's wound was dressed underneath the shoulder armor, with only hints of cloth sticking out from where the shoulder armor met the arm length brace.  It was professionally done and he made a mental note to ask Artalion to teach him one of these days how to dress wounds received in battle…with attacks like these and not even outside of Woodland, he knew that he needed some extra field training.

Settling by one side of the small fire, Legolas stared into it, and soon, rested as the Elves rested.

                                    *                      *                      *

**Author's Notes:**

            Finally done with this chapter.  Sorry for the confusion of the chapter before.  This entire fic except for the prologue and epilogue is supposed to take place WAAAY before Fellowship of the Ring.  And yes, there are book references…and Haldir in the movie version of The Two Towers isn't supposed to be going to Helm's Deep, but possibly rather with the other Lothlorien Elves to Dol Guldur with Celeborn.  Hmmm….  Shadow Chaser signing off…12/26/02.


	3. The Journey to Rivendell

Lord of the Rings: Pastime Promises, Memories

By: Shadow Chaser

**Disclaimer:**

Based off of the movie (Haldir does not die, but participated in the Battle of Helm's Deep) and the various history books by J.R.R. Tolkien.  **_I do not own the characters, situations, or languages of the Elves, these belong to Tolkien and I am not making a profit from this fic._**

Chapter 3 – The Journey to Rivendell 

**Timeframe: 2,000 Years and more before _Fellowship of the Ring_**

When daylight had arisen, the Elves were already on the top of the Mountains of Mirkwood, making ready their descent downwards and towards the Old Forest Road.  Haldir had found that though resting more than what a normal Elf would rest had healed most of the wound on his shoulder, leaving it still slightly stiff and sore, but at least enough that if they were attacked again, he would still be able defend himself.

Shielding his eyes against the wind swept tops of the peaks of the Mountains of Mirkwood, he looked at the high peaks of the Misty Mountains…or what was the beginning of the peaks that were the Misty Mountains.  Shrouded in fog all year long, the Misty Mountains were by far even more treacherous than the Mountains of Mirkwood.  These mountains were considered to be hills in the shadows of the Misty Mountains.

Looking down, he saw the old winding path that was the Old Forest Road.  A bit safer than the path along the Enchanted River, it was still dangerous nonetheless to linger in the forests of Woodland anymore longer than should.

"Haldir!" Yulin's voice called from behind and he turned slightly, shielding his eyes against the snow that swept around them.  Though Elves were not uncomfortable in the snow, as the cold didn't affect them too much, it was the icy particles that blew around from the high winds that really bothered them…

"What?" he called back.

"Petrio does not look good, commander!" Yulin called back and Haldir frowned from worry, not of anger.

He had awakened in the early hours of morning, just before the sun had risen to find that Legolas and Artalion were finishing up their patrol.  He hadn't remembered too much of the night before, except for the fact that Artalion had dressed his wound and then he fell into a deep resting state.  When he awoke, he had found out that Petrio was more injured than he was, with a deep diagonal slash across his back and the Elf had been conscious, but as they traveled, he had turned a bit delirious from the shock and loss of blood.

Now, with Yulin telling him this news, he knew that it had to be worse, as Yulin would never say anything unless something was terribly wrong.  He cursed silently as he glanced at the winding road that lead to the High Pass, one of the few safe passages through the Misty Mountains, going above the Mines of Moria as not to disturb the selfish dwarves, then back to where Yulin and the others were making their way up, Petrio being supported by Davandil who was practically his blood brother.

Unconsciously his fist clenched together and he glanced down at the others, "We make haste past the High Pass.  We run to Rivendell."

The others looked at him with gazes of willingness to obey, and Haldir caught Legolas' eyes as his best friend nodded curtly.  Haldir returned the brief nod then turned to Davandil who was trying to usher Petrio to hurry.  "Davandil," he called to the headstrong Elf, "come quickly…I will help you carry him."

The Elf nodded and quickened his pace.  As the other passed by Haldir, he grabbed Artalion's cloak, halting the Guardsman, "Guardsman, do you know the way to Rivendell from here?"

"Yes," Artalion replied, "I will bid them haste."

Haldir nodded thanks then waited as Davandil pulled a slightly pale looking Petrio up to where he was standing.  He knelt down in front of the injured Elf and looked into his eyes, noticing how dilated they were.  He was going into shock…they needed the Elvish medicine not provided at the moment…but what worried Haldir was the fact that not even Wargs with their powerful claws can reduce an able warrior into something like this.  There was dark magic at work…there had to be!

"Petrio!  Listen to me!" he grabbed the Elf's chin, not so hard, but enough that his eyes bore into his own, "Do not fall into the shadow…Do not fall!"

"Commander?" Davandil looked at him curiously and Haldir spitted the other Elf with a glare, silencing him.

"Come on," he draped Petrio's left arm around his shoulders and the two of them created a chair of sorts with their arms to support the injured Elf.

Down the Mountains of Mirkwood they went, and in good haste as they had to be at Rivendell before nightfall.

                                    *                      *                      *

With the quickened pace they had set, they had crossed the High Pass of the Misty Mountains in good time, but it was slowed as drifts of snow piled on them at times, and sometimes, small avalanches rained down upon them.  It was as if the weather wanted to bar them forever in the Misty Mountains, with no way to get out.

Legolas made his way down a few sharp jagged rocks and was about to continue down when he noticed Artalion, standing at an outcropping his long gloved hand raised to his eyes, staring out at the distance.  "What do you see Artalion?" he asked, coming over and peering with his hand shielding the glare of the bright sunlight from his eyes.

"Rivendell," was all that Artalion had to say until Legolas himself spotted structures of wood seemingly carved within the waterfalls and trees in the distance.

They were close to the beautiful city.

"It's beautiful," he marveled at the beauty the Elven community gave, even in the distance and turned around to see Haldir and Davandil still supporting Petrio who had grown worse.  A sheen of sweat mopped his brow; his usually tied back hair was now disarray and he looked very pale.  "Haldir, we are close to Rivendell!"

"Good," was the curt reply from his friend who was concentrating on not tumbling down the jagged rocks and also on carrying one of his injured.

Legolas leapt lightly off the outcropping he was on, just as Artalion followed him, and ran to catch up to the others.  He saw Valiya sliding down the slope with what was her shield, an expression of joy and concentration on her face.  Yulin was also watching her, then decided to follow her lead and grab the shield that was Legolas' and started to slide down too.

He didn't worry too much about the shield or his discarded helmet as he had given it to Yulin the night before, seeing that he didn't really have any use for it anymore.  He didn't really like helmets or shields as he felt that they obstructed his ability to shoot and to fight, but Yulin didn't seem to mind the helmet or the shield and gladly accepted them.

"Children…" Artalion mumbled behind him and Legolas turned to the big Elf, a grin on his face.

"Will you be needing your shield Guardsman?" he asked, letting the grin inch wider.

"No, milord.  If you would like to use it, you may," Artalion looked startled at the request and hastily gave him his big broad shield, fumbling a bit with the clasps and belts that attached it to his right arm.  He dropped it to the ground and Legolas looked at it for a second before turning around and gave a little wave to attract Haldir's attention.

"Haldir, we switch for the moment.  The burden is not for you or Davandil to bear for so long at such a pace," he said and noticed the dubious look on his best friend's face but Davandil nodded quickly, a bit hurried to unload himself of the heavy burden Petrio probably was.

After a few minutes, they had Petrio propped to Legolas, him keeping a firm arm and his bow around the Elf's waist as so not to lose him on the quick journey down the hill; he hopped onto the board and with a quick touch of his leg against the ground, they were off, Haldir, Davandil, and Artalion behind him, running.

The wind swept into his blonde hair, making it fly everywhere, but Legolas didn't pay attention to the minor detail as he kept his weight focused on the shield-board beneath him.  He leaned this way and that, avoiding trees and sharp rocks that jutted from the ground.  Allowing himself a brief smile of exhilaration, he noticed that both Yulin and Valiya were waiting at the bottom, both of them with their jaws slightly open as they stared at him flying down the hill with Petrio in front of him.

He suddenly ducked as a branch that was too low came towards him, bending Petrio's head at the same time then tilted to the left to regain his balance.  As he neared the bottom of the hill, he suddenly twisted his legs and the shield-board came skidding to a slow stop.  Catching his breath at the stop, he shook his head slightly feeling his heartbeat a bit quicker at the rush of exhilaration of sliding down a hill.

"Milor—Legolas, that was…" Valiya trailed off as he gave her a grin.

"Hadn't done that since I was an Elfling…" he scratched the back of his head then stepped off the board.  "Petrio?" he shook the Elf in his arms, making the Elf turn his head slightly and Legolas recoiled at seeing the slightly wild look that was there a few minutes before when they were on top of the hill.  "Petrio?"

The look in Petrio's eyes grew wilder…and there was a certain glow in them.  At first, he thought that it was the exhilaration of the flight down the hill and of also the wind blowing, but as it became more pronounced, he realized that Petrio was laughing…a cold wheezing laugh…a laugh that chilled Legolas' bones.  This wasn't the Elf that he had met but only a day ago…this was something different.

He hesitated slightly, staring at the Lothlorien Elf.  Something warned him that Petrio wasn't what he used to be…and his danger sense that he had felt that was just an annoyance after the Warg attack was rising…it was telling him that Petrio was the danger…

With a sudden blur that even Legolas did not see with his quick Elven eyes, but his body reacted to, he pushed away Petrio just as the slightly crazed-sick Elf drew a wicked looking dagger that he did not know he carried.  Leaping lightly back, his hands were a blur as he lined up his bow and drew an arrow off the back of his replenished quiver.

Yulin and Valiya had also drawn their weapons and were pointing them at Petrio…whose crazed look became even glossier than ever before.  He held the dagger in a style that Legolas didn't recognize and an insane smile lit up his face.  The sweat ran down his forehead and he was slightly hunched over, circling them, but focusing his gaze on both Yulin and Valiya, who were closer to him.

The soft patter of feet alerted all of them to the rest of their group who had come down the mountain.

"Petrio?" Davandil's voice was one of disbelief and Legolas could very well imagine what the Elf's expression was at seeing his near-brother in such a state, even though he himself was focused on the back of Petrio.  He noticed that the area where Petrio had been clawed was bleeding freely again…spots of red appearing on the cloth that Artalion had placed over the wound.

"Petrio…w-what are you doing?" Davandil was still in a shocked state.

"M-Must…k-kill…" an unearthly ragged whisper came from Petrio who suddenly hunched over then straightened and resumed his former stance of a slightly hunched over Elf.

"What in Iluvatar's name…" Artalion started to whisper before he suddenly turned around, his long sword in his hand.

It was but for a fraction of a second before something else registered in Legolas' mind.  Another enemy was here…  He turned and pointed his arrow in the face of another Elf just as the Elf pointed an arrow into his face.

"Hold!  Do not shoot!" Haldir's voice was harsh and commanding and Legolas froze, his eyes darting from the arrow pointed at his face to where Petrio was breathing heavily, still holding the dagger.  If the half crazed Elf was to attack at the moment, did he have enough time to take his dagger out and stop him, or even to shoot an arrow to stop him…

Out of the corner of his eye he saw that though Valiya, Yulin, and Haldir had arrows pointed at their heads, they were still training their weapons on Petrio.  It was safe to say that if the Lothlorien Elf made even a move to attack, there would still be someone there to stop him.

"Lord Elrond sensed some trouble brewing on his borders…and he was right…" a musical female voice said behind Legolas and he turned slowly, not to startle the Elf who was holding the arrow at his face as there was something about that Elf that screamed he was a fresh-faced soldier out on his first patrol.  Stepping from behind another Rivendell Elf who had been holding an arrow next to Haldir's head, the female Elf raised a hand and all the Rivendell Elves lowered their bows.

Letting lose a small sigh of relief that even he did not know he had held, Legolas relaxed slightly, but didn't let down his guard as Petrio was still hunched and waving the dagger slightly.  Was Petrio going to use this momentary distraction to attack?

                                    *                      *                      *

"Haldir of Lothlorien," the female Elf dressed in the battle armor of Rivendell, a myriad of dark reddish-brown and gold, extended a hand and Haldir took it.

He shook it, feeling her iron grip, as she was obviously the commanding officer of this patrol unit.  "Rinaran of Rivendell, it's been too long."

"More like a thousand years too long," she dispensed with all formalities and laughed lightly, "you've moved up in Middle Earth since last we met."

"And you too," Haldir replied, and then glanced beyond her.  A frown creased his face as he watched Petrio, still hunched over.  He didn't know what had happened to the Elf, but if it was something to do with his wound that he had received last night…then was it going to completely turn him into a feral beast?

"One of mine will take care of him," Rinaran looked to where his gaze was and nodded.

Haldir watched as one of the Rivendell Elves cautiously approach where Petrio stood, under the watchful weapons and gazes of those in his company.  The attack was fast and all but just a blur then suddenly Petrio was on the leafy ground, knocked out, dagger loose in his hands.  The Elf walked back out, only to give a nod to Artalion who had a proud look on his face.  Was there something between the Elf and Artalion that he didn't know about?

"Come, Elves of Lothlorien and Woodland…Lord Elrond has been waiting for you," Rinaran gestured for them to follow.

One of the Rivendell Elves picked Petrio gently from the ground, and carried him off, with the rest of Haldir's company following them, and he followed them.  He only stopped for a second to pick up the dagger discarded from the ground, and carefully stuck it in the small pack he had around his waist.  Maybe Elrond with his library of knowledge would know what had gone wrong with Petrio…and what of the dagger he carried.

                                    *                      *                      *

**Author's Notes:**

            Sorry that this is a short chapter, but I felt it best to end there.  If this story seems a bit rushed, it's because I don't really feel like lingering so much on detail.  Though some of my stories have a lot of detail, this one just seems like it wants to say write more, keep writing.  So I'm cranking out these chapters.  Shadow Chaser signing off…12/27/02.


	4. Of Swordmaidens and Knowledge

Lord of the Rings: Pastime Promises, Memories

By: Shadow Chaser

**Disclaimer:**

Based off of the movie and the various history books by J.R.R. Tolkien.  **_I do not own the characters, situations, or languages of the Elves, these belong to Tolkien and I am not making a profit from this fic._**  Timeframe:** 2,000 Years and more before _Fellowship of the Ring_**

Chapter 4 – Of Swordmaidens and Knowledge 

They were led to Elrond's open aired chamber where he usually greeted guests and before reaching it, the Rivendell Elves parted their company, taking Petrio away at the same time.  Davandil had made a noise of protest, but Rinaran reassured him that Petrio was going to be given care for the poison that had consumed him.  Of the guards around them, she was the only one to lead them to meet Elrond.

As they entered, Haldir let a brief smile flit across his face as he remembered the Elven Lord of Rivendell.  After the War of the Ring, he had only met Elrond once or twice, but only in passing as he had only come to talk with Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn; but in that once or twice passing, he had been accompanied by the Lord and Lady's daughter Celebrian.

But Celebrian was long gone by now, having left for Valinor, or the Undying Lands to live under the light, as her heart, mind, and soul had been called to there for some unknown reason.  Haldir himself didn't really know the true reason for the fair Elven Princess to be called there, but didn't trouble himself with it as he focused now on the situation at hand.

Lord Elrond had not changed one bit since he had last seen him in passing.  Gone was the dirt and battle smudges from the War of the Ring against Sauron, and in place was a stately Elf, noble and regal.  His long brown hair was tied back, and on his head rested a lightly jeweled crown, the only thing that set him apart from the other Rivendell Elves, especially those that they had passed who were not wearing the battle armor of the Rivendell guards.

Of all the Elven Armies, Rivendell contained the fewest, with Woodland not close behind.  But Rivendell had not lost its population of warriors in the War of the Ring, rather, it was just a very small Elven community where there was only two barracks…unlike Woodland's twelve or some number around there.  But as the warrior code of the Elven population, each community had at least a few Swordmaidens, and from what he could guess about Rinaran, she was the leader of the Swordmaidens of Rivendell, but that could be questionable, as he did not know.

The Elven Lord stood up from his high backed chair and bowed his head slightly to acknowledge them.  Haldir and the rest of his company returned the bow, with Rinaran moving to the shadows of the chamber room, showing respect to leave them be.

"Lady Galadriel and messages from my sons told me of an evil growing in the Eastern Areas…particularly near Rhun," Elrond stated, his voice clipped and precise.

"Yes, milord," Haldir stepped forward his eyes unblinking, "we request the use of maps and information from your libraries before we are to set out on this journey."

"Your request will be accepted," Elrond steeple his fingers, "you may all rest to recover your strength and reassured for one of your companions that had fallen to shadow.  He will be healed."

There was a note of finality to the very short conversation as Rinaran approached from where she was standing in the shadows and beckoned them to follow her.  Haldir nodded a grateful thanks to Elrond and saluted him before turning and following the rest of his company out.  He glanced back to see Legolas hanging back and hesitated in a step, wondering if he should stay as well, but something told him that it was a private conversation between two nobles, so he continued on.

                                    *                      *                      *

Legolas watched as the rest of the company left for their rooms in the beautiful picturesque city of Rivendell, then turned and bowed formally to Elrond.  It was more of a bow between nobles, not that of a soldier.  He had stayed behind because he knew that Elrond would have wanted to talk to him.  Thranduil and Elrond were good friends, and most likely he would have wanted to hear something from Woodland.

""It's been too long, Legolas Thranduillion," Elrond stood up from his chair, a smile on his face, "come walk with me and tell me of the Woodland Elves."

He obliged the Elf Lord and followed him out.  "Thranduil is well in health, but he's been having quite a few problems with the borders of his Caves," he decided to just tell of the court proceedings happening in there and didn't want to make any mention to Elrond about the strife torn between father and son, "though our wardens and barracks are beginning to become populated again, it has been slow."

"Slow for you, young Elf," Elrond interjected as they walked around the beautiful archways that lined the halls and buildings together, "you are but only a young elf, not even over a thousand years old yet."

Legolas blushed slightly and ducked his head, he knew that he was very young by comparison to most Elves, even to Valiya who was already a thousand and few hundred years old, and to compare with the likes of Elrond…it seemed that the older Elf could have been his grandfather of sorts.  "I only learn through my observations, Lord," he apologized, "but from what my father and those written in the history books in our small library, it has been very slow since the War of the Ring."

"Yes," Elrond looked thoughtful, but then frowned slightly, "the Elves are diminishing…"

Legolas chose not to answer the comment as he noticed the troubled look on the Half-Elven's face.  It had been a long time since he had seen Elrond, and the last time was when the Elven Lord came to visit Mirkwood, with his family, two gawky teenaged Elven twins who were dragging their little sister along.  Their mother, whom Legolas tried to remember the name but it eluded him at the moment, was a fair beauty, and he, only a young Elf back then, had kept his gaze downcast through the whole audience.  But he remembered how sharp Lord Elrond's eyes were, and how much they bore into him, like they were reading his mind.

Now those same eyes had never lost their sharpness, but they were filled with an even more troubled look than before.  "Thranduil also sends his regards to go with your family, and knows that your youngest, your daughter, has probably grown into a beauty like her mother."

The sudden flare of pain lighting up Elrond's eyes was enough to make Legolas realize that he had said something terrible and wrong.  "Begging your pardon, Lord, I did not know-"

"No…Arwen is just like her mother, Celebrian, she's the Evenstar of our people.  Though Thranduil might not know, but Celebrian has gone to the West, it is okay…" there was pain and sorrow evident in Elrond's voice, but there was also the look of pride on his face when he mentioned his daughter.

They walked on in silence, Legolas taking in the beauty of the Elven community, doing his best not to upset Elrond anymore.  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wished that he had paid more attention to the etiquette of talking with polite manners when his father was dealing with the Dwarves, the Men of the North, and other important dignities…but he brushed that thought away.  He didn't want to be confined to such a position, where there was nothing but political bantering and being seemingly cryptic, he wanted adventure, the life of a soldier…the life where he could make his own choices, not the choices that he was born into.

"This is where I must leave you, Legolas," Elrond suddenly stopped and Legolas looked up from his musings, stopping just in time before he ran into Elrond.  He noticed that they had arrived at the library, the entrance decorated with carvings of ivy and leaves crawling all over the place.  "Last I heard from your father was that you were a curious young Elf…and I think you would like the history that we have stored in here."  The Elven Lord of Rivendell smiled then bowed slightly, to which Legolas returned, then turned and left.

He watched as Elrond walked away then turned and stared at the wooden entrance to the library.  True, some part of him wanted to know the history of Middle Earth and how Iluvatar created this world, but he also wanted to explore the area…

With his decision made, he headed into the library, eager to absorb the information of the history of the Elves and of Middle Earth.

                                    *                      *                      *

They stayed in Rivendell for at least three days and during those three days, everyone had something to do.  Haldir had gone and talked with Elrond, the two of the pouring over the maps that lead to Rhun.  They decided to take the course which would lead them past Lothlorien, where they would spend some time to rest before heading out to Rhun, but they had also talked about the stirrings in the darkness, as Elrond bade Haldir to be very careful as the stirrings of something dark drew near.

Valiya had gone to visit the Swordmaidens of Rivendell, and Haldir had found out that Rinaran was indeed the commanding officer of the Swordmaidens of Rivendell.  Though Valiya was rarely seen without her compatriots it was as if something dark had been lifted from her, leaving her smiling freely and easily, leaving her carefree and very happy.  She rarely talked to the rest of them, and spent most of her time with the other Swordmaidens, exchanging words and languages that they did not know save for the Swordmaidens themselves.

Davandil and Yulin had gone exploring the outskirts of Rivendell with a few of the patrol groups, but Davandil had mostly stayed by his blood brother's side, as Petrio had not awakened from his deep slumber.  Haldir didn't know if the Lothlorien Elf would be all right, but he hoped and prayed to Iluvatar that Petrio would be healed soon.  He hated to leave one of the Galadhrim, as Lady Galadriel would probably be expecting all of them when they stopped by Lothlorien on their journey towards Rhun.

Artalion, however, had not been seen for the last two days.  It was only through the asking of a few of the patrols and of Rinaran that Haldir had found out that the Elf Artalion had acknowledged back when they first arrived at Rivendell, was none other than his own son.  Artalion, though a Woodland Elf, had a wife who was one of Arwen Undomiel's handmaidens, and their son was part of Rinaran's patrol unit.

One of the few things that Haldir found a bit humorous was his best friend's state, both mentally and physically.  He had found out that Legolas spent most of his time in the libraries, pouring through various battle maps and writings written by historians.  He had spent so much time in the library that every time he came out to take his rest of at least a few hours, or to even join them for meals, there was a dazed look to his face, and his eyes were slightly glazed from the amount of information he was probably absorbing.  Haldir considered poking fun at his best friend, but left it alone, as he knew that the Woodland Elf had a very curious mind.

On the third day however, Haldir snagged Legolas before he was to dash off to the library once more, and offered him a friendly little competition that the Swordmaidens were challenging to anyone who wanted to come, and Legolas had reluctantly agreed, giving the building that the library was located one long glance before following him to where the Swordmaidens practiced and lived.

"If only you'd been born in the Second or First Age…" Haldir shook his head slightly, grinning at Legolas, "Seriously…where did you read up to?"

"Something about the Numenor after the Breaking of Thangorodrim or something of that nature…" Haldir watched as the Silvan Elf rubbed his forehead, trying to remember.

Bowing his head slightly, he sighed then clapped his friend on the back, "Don't worry about it too much.  You will gradually learn of Elven History…"

"I guess," Legolas shrugged, still in a thoughtful mood.

They arrived at the clearing where the Swordmaidens were holding their challenges for the day and Haldir was a bit surprised to see so many young Elves, probably fresh from the barracks, taking the time and chance to see if their skills could compare with the Swordmaidens…of course they came just in time to see a particularly young Elf get pummeled by Valiya…

Giving her opponent the final blow, she stood up and bowed to those encircling the ring, and while her fellow Swordmaidens clapped and cheered, there were a few grudging clappers among the other soldiers, but they joined in enthusiastically as soon as she helped the fallen Elf up.

"Haldir, Prince, we are pleased that you took time from your activities to join us," Rinaran's voice spoke to their left and they turned to see her walking towards them, a long bow in her hand and a full quiver on her back.  "Ah, I see that you've been watching the combat ring…Valiya is a great fighter, you are lucky to have a warrior of such caliber within Woodland, Prince."

Haldir raised an eyebrow as Legolas nodded formally, "She and the rest of the Swordmaidens of Woodland take a lot of pride in what they do.  For this comment to be coming from one of the Noldor of the old, thank you."

Rinaran looked surprise but then smiled and laughed, "You have been studying Elven history a little too much Prince, but I'm glad that you've picked up the subtle differences of Noldorian Elves and those of Sindarin or Teleri kind.  It took Haldir here at least an Age to figure out which one is which, and to say, he has Noldorian blood and Teleri blood within him."

"At least I knew the languages before you ever learned all of it," Haldir grumbled, not really happy that Rinaran always took the opportunity to dig his grave a little deeper each time they met.  Though it was just bantering among friends, he knew that Rinaran had no other feelings, other than comradeship, for him, as her beloved was where Cirdan's Elves were, in the Grey Havens.

"Then tell, me, what is the language the Swordmaidens speak of?" Rinaran smiled a bit predatorily and Haldir returned the grin.

"Sindarin, but a variation form of it.  It has a few of the Teleri's sea language thrown in," he replied.

"Hmmm…so I was wrong about you, Haldir of Lothlorien," Rinaran gave him an appraising look before clapping her hands together, "well then, enough of this talk.  We would be having an archery match in a few minutes, and I wanted to know if the two of you would like to join?  Of course we have those bows that the Lothlorien Elves treasure so much, along with Woodland ones.  The arrows however, are of Rivendell make."

The mention of archery brightened Legolas' eyes and Haldir watched as his best friend nod quickly before he himself shook his head, "I will decline the offer for the first round, Rinaran."

"Very well then," she gestured to them to follow her, "Prince, what bow would you prefer?"

                                    *                      *                      *

Legolas marveled at the weight of the bow of Lothlorien given to him.  He had heard of these legendary bows, created to have more range and better aim, but then again, he didn't need the better aim part of it as his skill was natural, honed in by years of training with the palace guards.  But never had he held a bow so light, yet so durable.  He wished he could have one, but he knew that these belonged specifically to Rivendell…but while the Lothlorien bow was fine tuned to almost perfection, his Woodland bow was hardy enough to outlast dark creature attacks that frequented the outskirts of Thranduil's Caverns.

Bending his bow, he notched an arrow and held it at ready position, then glanced at his opponent, a Swordmaiden who looked as fierce as the frown she constantly wore.  He had found out that her name was Peleain, and all throughout her life, she had only twice given anyone a smile.  She glanced at him then at the various targets set everywhere in the open clearing, some moving, others stationary.  The goal was to hit all the targets with the fastest reaction time.

As agreed, Peleain would go first, and she looked ready, her bow steady, waiting for the signal given by Rinaran to start.

"Ready?" Rinaran voice suddenly spoke sharply and Legolas could see Peleain tense, "Nelde (Three)…Atta (Two)…Minya (One)!"

Her hands flew from her quiver to the string in a slight blur, only slowing as she moved her bow in different directions to aim at different targets.  In the back, through the distant murmur of onlookers, he could dimly hear Rinaran and a few others counting in Elvish, counting the time that passed by until suddenly Peleain stopped shooting and lowered her bow.  She turned to look at Rinaran and two other Swordmaidens who were staring down at her with impassive gazes.

"Thirty seconds, to bring down all targets," Rinaran said, "Ready?"

Legolas started slightly, cursing himself for not paying attention then raised his bow and pulled back on his first arrow.  He noticed with some surprise that the targets had been all set in their same position again, the moving ones replaced by other moving ones, the stationary with an arrow in each of them.

"Nelde…Atta…Minya!"

It was as if he was moving through water, but in some type of awareness…Legolas saw the targets and his hand moved to its own accord.  He targeted then shot an arrow, targeted again and shot another arrow.  It seemed like a few seconds but then he suddenly stopped as he put down his last target then turned and faced Rinaran, noting the slightly surprised look on her face.

"Twenty…seconds, to bring down all targets," Rinaran said, "Prince Legolas of Woodland is the victor of this round."

Holding his bow in one hand, he turned and bowed formally to Peleain who returned it then the customary frown on her face disappeared as she smiled.  Legolas returned the smile then turned and headed to return the bow he borrowed; Haldir and Rinaran, Haldir clapping him on the back in congratulations joined him.  Rinaran however, was stifling a laugh behind the back of her hand and he looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Peleain only smiles for those she has taken a liking too…" Rinaran laughed lightly.

                                    *                      *                      *

**Author's Notes:**

            Well, sorry if this chapter is a bit awkward at times, but I wanted to put at least some type of fluff or humor scene in here before everything goes dark.  Anyways, the thing with Legolas coming out dazed from finding and researching is just like me, reading the history of the Elves…oui…  Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and more will come, but slightly slower as school starts tomorrow.  Oh yeah, Legolas isn't really a bookworm, but he's curious…so since he was born in the Third Age, somehow he has to know some Elven history…  Shadow Chaser signing off…1/1/03.


	5. From Imladris to Caradhras

Lord of the Rings: Pastime Promises, Memories

By: Shadow Chaser

**Disclaimer:**

Based off of the movie and the various history books by J.R.R. Tolkien.  **_I do not own the characters, situations, or languages of the Elves, these belong to Tolkien and I am not making a profit from this fic._**  Timeframe:** 2,000 Years and more before _Fellowship of the Ring_**

Chapter 5 – From Imladris to Caradhras 

When the sun rose on the morning of their fourth day of staying in Rivendell, Haldir was already up, dressing himself.  They were to leave this day, headed on their six-day journey to Lothlorien.  Stepping out of the room he was given, he felt relaxed and at ease, something he hadn't really felt for a long time, but he knew that the uneasiness and pressures of his journey were going to catch up to him once again when he left the borders of Rivendell.

Thankfully, Lord Elrond was to lend them horses for their journey all the way to Caradhras, before they were to cross the dangerous snow covered mountains on foot.  The horses would make their way back to Rivendell on their own, as they were smart enough to do.

He made his way down to the courtyard where six horses were waiting for them.  Already Artalion was bridling his and loading up a small provision pack, while Legolas was stroking his horse's mane while talking to Rinaran who had come to see them off along with the Swordmaidens.  Valiya had finished readying her horse and was laughing along with a small group of Swordmaidens, who surprisingly weren't dressed in their battle armor, but in dresses and had their hair down.  Yulin and Davandil had not arrived yet and just as Haldir was descending the stairs to join the others, Elrond came sweeping into the courtyard.

The various Elf Swordmaidens and other people who wanted to say their goodbyes immediately either snapped to attention or bowed as Elrond past.  Even Artalion and Valiya bowed as Elrond passed by but Legolas only nodded his head briefly.

The Elven Lord stopped in front of him and he gave a small bow to acknowledge him, "What can I do for you, Lord?"

"I know that you've been expecting to part Imladris with your seventh companion, Petrio, but sadly to say, his wound has not healed and he is still in a deep sleep that we cannot revive him from.  I've already communicated with Lady Galadriel about this and she knows of what to expect.  I am sorry to bear such dreadful news," Elrond looked a bit grave and Haldir nodded.

Though he hated leaving Petrio in such a state, they were hard press to find out what was happening in Rhun, and the Lady Galadriel was probably anxious of their news that they have picked up from their trip.  He knew that the Lady of the Light was wise beyond her years and had the ability to see into the possibilities of the future, but that still did not count as she always sent scouts out to find the happenings of Middle Earth.

"There is no need to apologize," Haldir replied, "but if Petrio does wake-"

"He will return to Lothlorien in good heath, Haldir.  Rest assured that your companion will not fall ill to the evils of this world," Elrond said, giving a half smile.

"Then I shall be leaving now.  I thank you for your hospitality," Haldir bowed again just as Yulin and Davandil appeared from one the paths, all their packs and weapons ready.  They took one glance at Haldir and seeing that he was in the midst of saying their farewell, they climbed on the horses.

Mounting his horse with one fluid graceful movement, he nodded once more to Elrond then glanced at the others.  Valiya was saying what was probably the last of her goodbyes to the Swordmaidens of Rivendell in their language and there were a few titters of laughs running through them as she turned giving him one of the most brilliant smiles he had ever seen her wear before turning back down and laughing a bit more.  Haldir had a feeling that a joke or two had been passed and he wasn't too keen on finding out if one of them had been about him…but still the others looked ready to leave.

"Artalion," he called to the Woodland Guardsman, "lead them."

Artalion needed no further orders as he whispered to his horse and it took off, the others following suit.  Haldir hesitated for a second, taking in the beauty of Rivendell and with a small wave to Rinaran, before whispering to his mount and the horse snorted lightly before taking off.

Leaving Rivendell behind, Haldir had a feeling that he wouldn't see the Elven community for a long time.

                                    *                      *                      *

They rode on for at least three days, only stopping to let the horses rest a few hours roughly every sixty miles or so.  It was on the fourth day that they came by a small stream flowing down from the high points of the Misty Mountains to their left, their peaks reaching high above the clouds.

Haldir called for them to rest, as they would be crossing the Redhorn Pass at Caradhras in the next day or so.  He was glad that it was the summer time, and the snow wouldn't be as heavy as it was in the wintertime.  He had heard stories from travelers about others getting stuck on the Redhorn Pass, with no food, no way to get down and freezing to death only to be found in the summer by others a frozen stiff corpse.

Though the weather didn't affect Elves as badly as it did to Men or dwarves, Haldir knew that even if with high amounts of snow drifting their way, they would also be trapped.

Dismounting from his horse, which he had found out that its name was Aramellion, he patted its neck and led it to the stream where it started to drink.  He glanced at the others, Yulin setting some tinder down and getting a small fire started, Davandil trudging towards the small fire sullenly, Artalion watching the area with his sharp eyes, Legolas following the Guardsman's lead and also surveying the area, and Valiya bringing their group's horses to the stream to drink.

"Are we staying here long?" she asked, absently stroking her horse's chestnut mane as she stared at the stream that the horses were drinking from then at him.

"Possibly.  I think for the rest of the waning afternoon into the night.  We'll be leaving by the early morning hours.  Redhorn Pass is supposed to be less treacherous at midday than in the morning or afternoon," Haldir said, shrugging slightly.  "Was there something you wanted to do, if I may ask," he put in the last words hastily as a glint of what looked to be anger lit up in her eyes.

"Nothing special, just a simple purification ceremony Rinaran and the other Swordmaidens taught me at my stay in Rivendell," she replied evasively and Haldir decided to let it at that as he didn't want to anger her…especially after seeing what she did to the young soldier back a few days ago.

"All right then, we will not bother you," he said then walked away, leaving her to watch the horses drink.

It was much later on, nearing the sunset that Haldir awoke from his quick rest to see Legolas wicking something out of a small thick branch he had found.  Yulin and Davandil were no where to be seen, but their packs were still on the ground along with their main weapons so they couldn't have gone far.  Artalion was standing as still as a rock that Haldir almost missed him in the waning light, keeping his sharp eyes trained on anything that could be disconcerted as an enemy or creatures looking to attack them.

Valiya was probably doing her purification ceremony or whatever it was and Haldir didn't dare to check on her.

"Davandil and Yulin said that they were going to hunt and they be back in at least before the sun has fallen," Legolas said and Haldir nodded, but for some odd reason he felt at a slight unease.  "You're uneasy," his best friend stated and Haldir blinked…was he that transparent to read?

"It's nothing," he replied, folding his arms and leaning back against the log that he had been rest on, "I see that you've been learning the craft of wicking…did Rinaran teach you?"

"Yes," Legolas replied scraping off a big wedge of wood before giving the wood a quick blow to clear off little bits and pieces, "it's actually quite relaxing if you can get the hang of it…" Haldir stifled a small laugh as he watched his friend look quite frustrated at the piece of wood he was trying to carve.

"Ah, quite relaxing isn't it?" he jabbed a bit sarcastically and received a wiry glare from the Woodland Elf.

"Fine then, here," Legolas tossed him the wood and dagger he had been using, "you try if you think you can do better."

He caught them then stared at what his friend was trying to carve.  It looked like the beginning formation of what seemed to be a horse, but with a broader body, thick legs, and a very small head.  Shaking his head slightly he sighed and started to cut into the wood.  "You know that Rinaran learned all of this from her husband," he said as he flicked off a few pieces of wood.

"She is married?"

"Yes, but he's gone over the Sea and I think that she'll be following soon, but as of now, she hasn't given any hints of heading to the Grey Havens yet," he explained, flicking off another piece of wood then scratched a part of the horse with the tip of the dagger, creating the horse's mane.

Flipping the wood carving over, he made a few more nicks before looking up and tossing the completed horse and dagger back to Legolas who caught them and sheathed his dagger before picking up the completed wooden horse and staring at it.

"I am in envy," the words came out haltingly.

"It's quite easy if you do it a lot.  In between battles during the Second Age, I used to do this a lot," Haldir shrugged, "but I think that you'll be better than I since that horse looks a bit angular in places.  I think it's the difference of carving that brings out your fighting style."

Legolas nodded, staring absently as he rotated the wood carving around, "You killed the enemy in what looks like an ungainly style…"

"It works, it's fast, efficient," Haldir sat forward.

"Don't let Artalion hear that from you.  When I was taught, he told me that killing is an art form, like a dance or a song that flows from the river," Legolas set the horse down and grinned, "I think I'll start with something small next time…"

Haldir quirked a small smile and was about to reply when the sudden trampling of bushes alerted the two of them and he drew his sword halfway out of its sheath when he relaxed as Davandil came back…an oddly shape bundle in his hands.  Yulin was nowhere in sight.

"Yulin's hunting, Haldir," Davandil called to him as he came over to the fire that they had started and set the bundle down.

"What is that?" Legolas asked.

"Nothing," was the reply from Davandil before a piercing scream echoed from the wooded area…right around where the stream flowed.

Haldir was instantly on guard, leaping up his sword drawn.  Even Artalion tensed and Legolas was loading up his bow.  Only Davandil looked unconcerned.  He stared at him then his gaze traveled to the bundle and he realized with a start that the bundle was actually clothing and armor wrapped tightly…clothing and armor that looked suspiciously like Valiya's.

Frowning in anger, Haldir immediately sheathed his sword and marched over to where Davandil was blissfully closing his eyes.  He picked the Elf up by his front, lifting him off the ground so that they were eye to eye.  The blissful expression was instantly wiped off of Davandil's face and it became one of ignorance.

"What?"

"Are those Valiya's clothes?" he asked, as he heard the edge in his own voice, the anger seeping through.

"So?  She's supposed to be one of those high and mighty Swordmaidens then she should endure some humility," Davandil avoided his gaze and Haldir shook him slightly.

"She is a warrior like the rest of us.  She shouldn't have to endure this embarrassment," he said, narrowing his eyes, "return her clothes at once-"

"There's no need," Valiya's voice echoed through the mostly silent camp, save the crackling of firewood.

Haldir turned to see her walking up towards them, dressed in what looked to be spare clothing probably from her pack, but there was anger burning in her eyes and she stalked towards them.  Releasing Davandil he took a step forward to the Swordmaiden when she suddenly let out a yell and charged towards Davandil whose eyes had widened in either fear or surprise, he didn't know.

But what he did know was that he had to stop this.  Luckily as soon as he put himself in between the path that Valiya was taking towards Davandil, Artalion had reached over and halted the warpath the enraged Swordmaiden had been on by grabbed her and pinning her arms together.  Likewise, Haldir had placed an arm on Davandil's shoulder, holding him to his place.

"This has to stop.  It's childish, you two are acting like children.  I don't care if you hate each other or if you have prejudices against each other, it has to stop.  Now.  Both of you do not have to apologize to each other, but you will keep your distance from each other.  If I see any of this behavior for the rest of the journey then you will both be left behind in Lothlorien.  I will choose two new companions if I have to," he glared at the two of them, making sure that the both caught the anger he had in his eyes.

"Do I make myself clear?" he asked, suddenly feeling very old.  He felt like an old Elf talking to the younger charges…almost like giving each of them a good slap on the hand for doing something wrong.

The murmurs of them agreeing to what he said was barely audible but Haldir nodded.  He was about to walk back to his spot when he caught the glares the two sent to each other.  He had a feeling that he would have to stay up for the rest of the night to prevent the two from killing each other during their rest.

Sighing, he looked around and raised an eyebrow as Yulin came back, a few coonies in his hands.  So Yulin was telling the truth and Davandil wasn't.  Cringing slightly, he wondered if he had made the right choice to choose the headstrong Elf to be part of his group…

                                    *                      *                      *

Legolas quietly kept an eye on Valiya as they headed towards the Redhorn Pass the next day.  Though they left during the wee early hours of the morning when the sun had yet to rise, it was nearly noon by the time they arrived at the foot of the mountain.  Valiya was riding up front where Haldir was leading them, Davandil in the back with Artalion.  Only he and Yulin were the ones in the middle, the two of them keeping an eye on the two of them.

He didn't know what was Davandil's problem with female Elves becoming warriors, but didn't really give much thought to it.  Reining his horse in, he noticed that up ahead, Haldir had dismounted then whispered into his horse's ear before it suddenly took off, heading off in the direction that they had come from.

Dismounting also, he gave his horse a quick pat on the neck before nodding for it to follow the other horses.  His horse gave a quick whinny before it galloped off, leaving a small cloud of kicked up dirt in the air as it joined the others, all of them headed back to Rivendell.

He jogged toward the others as they started up the mountains.  Shifting his quiver pack behind him, Legolas hoped that they would arrive in Lothlorien soon…he didn't want to know what kind of giant fight the two would get into if they stayed in the wilderness a lot longer.

                                    *                      *                      *

**Author's Notes:**

            Sorry if this chapter seems short.  I'm currently studying for midterms and they've been messing with my mind.  Though I hope that I can finish this whole fic before the end of January, it might be doubtful.  Don't know though.  Anyways, hope you enjoyed the story so far!  Shadow Chaser signing off…1/11/03.


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